I know there is one in me because I quite like the food from Kerala, and I was inspired to make a curry with something that only Malayalis use, as far as I know.

The inspiration also owed to other factors:

- A 6-year-old stash of kodampuli - yes, from the same trip that took me to Vembanad and had me speaking to the boatman in a language I never knew I knew

- Rediscovering that said stash a few months ago after having thought I had cleaned it out

- And most recently, a non-Malayali friend's experiment with yam, coconut milk and kodampuli which I tasted and really liked last week. Her kodampuli too owed its existence in her home to a trip. Not to Vembanad, but to Thekkady. And while both of us bought it with fish curry in mind, we also used it for non-fish curry. (And no, I don't think she can speak Malayalam or spoke to the boatman in Malayalam and if she did, I don't know whether she knew she didn't know the language.)

I had two green bananas I wanted to stew, and I decided they were 'It'. I didn't check for any further Malayaliness, but decided to adapt a hazy idea of a green banana and tamarind gravy to this recently rediscovered delight. Usually such gravies, much relished in Telugu families such as mine, are made this way. I was too lazy to check, so went by memory and imagination.

4 Now tip the kodampuli and the water in which they were soaked into the banana. (At that moment, I hadn't known if that was how it's used; I just did it because the kodampuli looked hard and unyielding even after soaking for 30 minutes, and the water didn't look very different either.)

5 Let it boil, checking now and then to ensure the gravy doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add water if the consistency is too thick.

6 At home, tamarind gravies are finished off with a final addition of jaggery. I resisted the urge to do that with this experiment.

I will try this again, with other vegetables.

* Note: I added the third tomato and some more water and boiled it a little more after finding the gravy too hot.

The kudampuli was a very well kept secret until de end....i kept guessing it as kokum or may be tamarind or may be choko or donno wat??? but was laughing at de end tat it was de poor fella- banana...de puli word at de end tricked me. And did i forget to mention lovely article...Cheers.

I knew we were connected somehow but didnt knowhow :-) Welcome my malayali sister :-)))))You spoke Malayalam even when you didn't know it, i am sure in you past life you was a mallu then.I too jave a sash of kudampuli from well 4 years ago, and i still use them for prawn curries etc...Love the curry looks spicy yumm.

Notyet, it was - it had a nice smoked flavour, too!SS, er ... I didn't know I didn't know or didn't know I knew - too confusing, I know, it doesn't matter - thanks!Jayashree, I think it was something about where we were getting off and whether he had been informed or not, something of that sort. :)Jyothsna, pls see reply above. And I haven't named it anything, like most of the food I talk about! :)Chetana, Kokum is a cousin. Thanks!Sanjeeta, it's different, but related. Thanks!Happy Chechi, thank you! I used to tell a lot of tales earlier, and when I told someone I found out I was a Himalayan princess in my past life, they believed me!Paz, yes, I remember, we tried those too! How are you?Aparna, yes, I wondered if I should cite that as proof of my inner Malayaliness, but I'd already spent two hours on that post! Some of the nicest people I know are Malayalis, including someone closer home - closer to yours, I mean ;)

Sra,People used to mistook me being a Punju , I guess I too like feeding my inner Punju with some choley bhaturey occasionally :-D..anyways kodampuli, never saw it I guess ..Curry looks inviting ..hugs and smiles

Mallugirl, :) I'm sure there's more!Miri, :) You need to confirm something, remember?Sameena, Oh, I hope it's much more than that!Apu, thanks! Joanne, :) I borrowed the idea from my friend. I ate a prawn curry with the same stuff yesterday, it was good!Jaya, all of us have inner others, for sure!Sharmi, thanks! Yes the black thing is the puli!

Love these posts. So makes me want to travel to SE Asia. I have a friends who went for 3 months last year (Dec to Feb) to rock climb. They said the food was the best part (obviously) and are constantly trying to recreate it!